unwritten

[uhn-rit-n]

adjective

1. not actually formulated or expressed; customary; traditional.

   Synonyms: inferred, tacit, understood, implicit

2. not written; not put in writing or print; oral.

   an unwritten agreement.

3. containing no writing; blank.

unwritten

/ ʌnˈrɪtən /

adjective

1. not printed or in writing

2. effective only through custom; traditional

3. without writing upon it

Word History and Origins

Origin of unwritten¹

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English unwriten; un- ¹, written

Example Sentences

Human rights groups believe there is an unwritten agreement among the four neighbouring countries to allow each other's security forces to pursue dissidents over the border.

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“Our team followed every written and unwritten rule, left no trace, and honored Yosemite’s accepted traditions.”

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Her university has an unwritten rule that students must sign an employment contract or provide proof of internship within one year of graduation; otherwise, they won't receive a diploma.

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Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge arrives — and the rest is unwritten.

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But Cloudflare argues AI breaks the unwritten agreement between publishers and crawlers.

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Related Words

• accepted 
• tacit 
• verbal